Wright State board to sign off on resignations of professor, researcher

— Wright State University trustees on Friday could officially accept the resignations of two university employees who were involved in two separate scandals.

The board of trustees will vote on recommendations from university president Cheryl Schrader for the school to accept the resignations of Jason Fruth and Phani Kidambi. At nearly every public meeting, Wright State’s board formally signs off on all new hires, promotions and separations of employees from the school.

Fruth, who an assistant professor and co-director of the intervention specialist program, resigned in May amid a four-month university investigation into accusations that he raped one student and sexually harassed other students.

The university’s Office of Equity and Inclusion launched the investigation of Fruth, 37, on Feb. 19 after a graduate student filed a complaint claiming she had been raped by the professor, WSU investigative records obtained by the Dayton Daily News show. Fruth denied the rape and harassment allegations and a criminal investigation by the Beavercreek police led to no charges.

Kidambi, who was also suspended since May 2015 because of a federal investigation of possible violation of immigration laws, resigned from the university in August, according to records obtained by the I-Team.

Wright State leaders have also taken steps to fire former provost Sundaram Narayanan, who has been on paid suspension for more than two years during the same federal investigation.

Narayanan and Kidambi were two of four university administrators initially suspended in May 2015 because of the federal investigation, which an I-Team investigation showed was related to the university’s use of H-1B temporary work visas to secure employees for an area IT staffing firm in possible violation of immigration rules.